Celebrate the New Year in the midst of the festival bustle of Asakusa with a gala selection of plays and dances featuring the most talented young stars in kabuki today.Compared to other kabuki performances, the time of show is shorter and is perfect for tourists and customers who have never seen kabuki before. This year, "Foreign tourist discount tickets" will be available at the box office. Please read the news for further information.

Program I (from 11:00 AM):

KEISEI HANGONKO -Tosa Shogen Kankyo

[Stuttering Matahei]

CAST:

Ukiyo Matahei, later Tosa Matahei Mitsuoki

:

Bando Minosuke

Otoku, Matahei's wife

:

Nakamura Kazutaro

Kano Utanosuke

:

Nakamura Hayato

STORY:
A scene from Chikamatsu Monzaemon's "Keisei Hangonko" which was originally written for the puppet theatre and adapted as kabuki.
Matahe has long studied painting, but because of his stutter, his master has refused to give him an artistic name. Instead of being a respected artist, Matahe is forced to make a living, drawing crude cartoons. Matahe and his wife come to beg his teacher for a name once more, Matahe's wife chattering to make up for her husband's silence. But when their request is turned down, husband and wife decide that suicide is the only choice. Before dying, Matahe paints his portrait on a stone washbasin, and such is the strength of his spirit that the painting goes through the stone and appears on the other side. Finally Matahe receives a name and is overjoyed to be able to serve his teacher with valor.

From YOSHITSUNE SENBON ZAKURA @-YOSHINOYAMA

[ Yoshitaune and the Thousand Cherry Trees -Mt. Yoshino ]

CAST:

Sato Tadanobu, in reality The fox Genkuro

:

Onoe Matsuya

Hayami no Toda

:

Bando Minosuke

Shizuka Gozen

:

Nakamura Kazutaro

STORY:
A dance travel scene from the epic "YOSHITSUNE SENBON ZAKURA (Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees)." Now in exile and disgrace, Yoshitsune has left his lover Shizuka in the safekeeping of his trusted retainer Tadanobu. But she is unaware that this Tadanobu is actually a magical fox who has disguised himself to be near the treasured drum that Shizuka carries, a drum made from the skins of his fox parents. The dance is set in the midst of the cherry blossoms of Yoshino, as Shizuka and Tadanobu long to meet Yoshitsune again and express their feelings of love and loyalty to their lord.

Program II (from 3:00 PM):

FUTATSU CHOCHO KURUWA NIKKI@-Sumo Ba

[ Two Butterflies in the Pleasure Quarters -The Sumo Match ]

CAST:

Hanaregoma Chokichi

:

Onoe Matsuya

Yamazakiya Yogoro

:

Nakamura Hayato

Fujiya Azuma

:

Nakamura Umemaru

Nuregami Chogoro

:

Nakamura Kinnosuke

STORY:
A sewamono play portraying in a realistic way the lives of ordinary people in the Edo period.
The title of this play, "Futatsu Chocho" means "two butterflies" and also comes from the fact that two sumo wrestlers who play important roles in the full length play have names beginning with "cho": Chokichi and Chogoro. Nuregami Chogoro throws a match and begs the younger wrestler Hanaregoma Chokichi to persuade his patron Gozaemon to give up Azuma, the beautiful courtesan. However Chokichi loses his temper by the fact that Chogoro purposely lost the fight and the two end up competing in a test of pride.

GOZONJI SUZUGAMORI

[ The famous encounter at Suzugamori ]

CAST:

Shirai Gompachi

:

Nakamura Hayato

Banzuiin Chobe

:

Nakamura Kinnosuke

STORY:
A short scene from Tsuruya Nanboku's play "Ukiyozuka Hiyoku no Inazuma."
The young samurai Gompachi is ambushed near the execution grounds of Edo on a dark night, but he manages to escape after a gruesome but humorous fight scene. Watching from a nearby palanquin, Chobe, an Edo boss, is impressed with Gompachi's fighting skills and agrees to give him shelter in the city. This meeting between the handsome young Gompachi and the heroic Chobe is one of the most famous meetings in kabuki.

BO SHIBARI

[ Battle of Ideas for Sake ]

CAST:

Jiro Kaja

:

Onoe Matsuya

Sone Matsube

:

Nakamura Hayato

Taro Kaja

:

Bando Minosuke

STORY:
A dance play based on a classical Kyogen farce. The master, Sone Matsube, is irritated that his two servants always drink his sake while he is out. He plots with one of these servants Tarokaja, to trick the other servant Jirokaja and talks him into demonstrating his skill at stick fighting, tying him to the stick. The master then ties up Tarokaja as well. However, despite the fact that they are tied up, the two successfully drink up their master's sake and end up dancing exuberantly.

* This performance has no English Earphone-Guide rental service.Please ask the theatre staff if you need free hand outs with brief synopsis of the performance.